Makes me happy

On a daily basis there are two things that I do for myself that make me happy. One is I take a shower and fully get ready for the day, and the second is I keep a clean home. Some people need to run or do something with their hands everyday, but I need a clean home and the feeling of being put together. I have always been that way. I remember as a little girl always cleaning our home and always having to have my hair done before the day started. Having these two things everyday makes my world a little brighter.

9 months old

As I look back I am amazed that Tanner has only been in our lives for 9 months. It feels like he has always been with us. At 9 months old Tanner has eight teeth, 18 pounds, is a good eater - eating baby food and some table food, loves animals (especially dogs, he will laugh and smile when he sees one), is a good sleeper, loves to crawl around the house but doesn't get into everything yet. He is such a happy natured baby! He will pull up on things and can get down but is not walking along objects yet. He loves to be involved with his brother and go on walks. He cracks up when we give him high fives and loves all the attention he can get.  He will give anyone a smile that looks his way. He babbles often saying, "ma ma", "da da", and "ba ba", to name a few. He makes a funny squeeking noise and if we do it back to him it becomes a fun game as we go back and forth. He is a cutie!

Loving Life

The weather we are having right now is amazing! It's been in the high 70's to low 80's since the weekend and it's still January!! I love California! We went on a family walk and had a picnic at the park since it was so nice out. You definitely pay for the weather here but we will gladly pay to have sun instead of snow during the winter. I love that we have nice weather year round.

This weekend the boys and I went to Orange County to watch Joy for a few days. We got to spend some time at the beach which was amazing. One evening Joy, Dad and I went on a run/walk along the beach. We all thought we could get pretty used to this life style. As we walked we made plans for our future beach house - we can dream right? Ethan had a great time playing in the sand and water. Tanner even got in on the action for his first time. He thought it was ok as long as the cold water didn't get him. He didn't eat the sand like I thought he might.

It's been fun watching Ethan the last few weeks in Primary. He is the only Sunbeam that sits still, is keeping his hands to himself, quiet, listens to directions, sings, and folds his arms when it's prayer time. He is such a good boy! On the way home I asked him what he learned in his lesson and he said he didn't know. I asked if it was about Jesus and he said, "Yes, Jesus got his hands nailed and it bleeds and I don't like that. I don't want to do that." It was sweet. Last week his favorite part was when they marched like a band in singing time.

I feel like I say the same things over and over in my blog but it's the way I truly feel. I think you can never say enough how grateful you are for your blessings. There is honestly not a day that goes by that I'm not aware and grateful for my blessings. It's the small and simple things on a daily basis that make me the happiest, and in the long run those are the blessings that usually mean the most to me. Growing up I always knew I was blessed but didn't think about it all that much. The older I get the more I realize how much I have been blessed with. Besides family and the church, being able to stay home with my children is one of the greatest blessings in my life. I couldn't imagine having to work full time and being away from my small children. I think I feel my blessings so much more now 1) because I'm more mature and have had more life experiences, and 2) I'm doing what I always dreamed of. I am happily married and have two great kids that I get to be with everyday. Don't get me wrong, staying home can have its challenges but I love it!

Some of the things that bring me the greatest happiness in my life right now are seeing my boys grow and mature. Ethan is starting to really take to Tanner. He is including him in more play, wants to hold him, play hide and seek and I love hearing the conversations Ethan has with Tanner, especially in the back seat of the car. Since Tanner was born we have really tried to get Ethan to talk to Tanner instead of get upset at him.We have told him to teach Tanner to play instead of get mad at him for grabbing his trains or whatever the object might be at that moment. We are now seeing our efforts pay off as Ethan is now more willing to talk and play with Tanner instead of be mad at him. It's still not perfect but Ethan's communication with Tanner is pretty good. I am excited to see their bond continue to grow. I could go on and on but basically I just feel so blessed to have three wonderful boys in my life! I am blessed!!

Observations

Whenever I take Tanner to a store I have so many people stop us. I really should count how many people stop to interact with Tanner because it's pretty comical. We can honestly barely move through the store, (especially Trader Joe's) without someone playing peek-a-boo, trying to hold him, touching him or talking to him for a few minutes. No joke! Who asks some random person in the middle of the fruit aisle if they can hold their baby? This was the second time someone at the grocery store has asked to hold him. I know this is a common occurrence when you have a baby and I got comments and smiles all the time with Ethan but it's to a much greater degree with Tanner.  A lot of it has to do with the fact that he is beaming at the people from across the aisle as he is kicking with joy when they give him attention. Everyone always comments on how happy Tanner is. Tanner truly is such a happy baby and a joy in our lives. I love watching him grow and discover the world around him. He has a double ear infection right now so yesterday when I put him down he would crawl after me saying, "mama mama." It was really sad, so today I took him to the doctor and he is on antibiotics. He still is such a happy baby that is still sleeping through it all. What a blessing! As an update Tanner weighs 18 pounds and is almost hitting the 25th percentile now for weight. He has seven teeth and is working on a few more.

Ethan continues to grow and mature. He is starting to help get on and off his clothes, go to the bathroom by himself without telling me or needing help with his clothes (he has been potty trained for over a year but up until recently would tell me every time he would need to go and/or want help with clothes), he can spell and write his name, his ability to write letters is improving all the time, he loves to do work books such as letter writing or dot-to-dot books. His appetite still has not improved much - not a big eater! As we went around our block yesterday I was reminded how much Ethan is like me when I was a litle girl. I could be a very outgoing girl that would talk to anyone but then also could be reserved and shy. Ethan is very much this way. As he rode his bike he waved to everyone he saw, stopping the UPS man and asking him if he was coming to our house. Where was he going next and why wasn't he coming to our house? As we went a little further we ran into a few more people and he waved and observed them. As we turned the corner onto our street again there were two men outside smoking with big baggy clothes, someone that could be very nice but not someone we really want to stop to talk to. Well, as expected Ethan stopped to give them a wave and I was grateful he didn't stop to talk this time to see what they were doing. They gave him a wave back and off we went. He is a people person and people love talking to him. He is always so curious and wanting to learn more and more. We love our boys!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy 31st birthday Daddy Cutie! (That is just one of Jared's many nicknames). I am so grateful Jared is my husband and the father to my children. I love how well we fit together. Jared and I are both easy-going which makes our world such a happy place. I love how we don't have to say anything to each other in public settings and we know what the other person is thinking or wants. I love how the boys light up when they see Jared and want to play with or be held by him. I am grateful he is an involved member in our family. Even though he puts many long hours in at the hospital he comes home and helps out wherever he can. He never says he is too tired to be involved in what we are doing or just sits on the couch while I get things done around the house. He will see a need and act on it. I know he is torn in many directions with residency but he does an amazing job at juggling all his responsibilities and still has a smile on his face. He is one of a kind! I really am so grateful to have Jared in my life. I love you Jared! Happy Birthday!

As a side note, today we have been preparing for Jared's arrival this evening with balloons, making and decorating the cake and getting Chinese take-out. Ethan is excited for our little party. We love birthdays around here!

Wrapping up 2010 and ringing in 2011

Last Thursday after preschool Ethan, Tanner and I headed back down to Tustin for more holiday festivities. That evening we went with the Goodmans on a duffy boat around Newport bay for a few hours. We bundled up the kids, brought along dinner, cookies and hot chocolate and had a great time. It always amazes me how people can afford some of the boats you see in the harbor and the million dollar beach houses right on the water. It's always fun looking though, especially at this time of year with the Christmas lights.

On New Year's Eve we went down to Newport Beach to a friend's beach house and spent the night. On the way down we picked up dinner and ice cream and enjoyed it while playing a game. Some of us watched a movie but I opted to go to bed so I would feel rested in the morning. It turns out I was awake at 12am anyways due to Ethan having a fever. In the morning he was feeling much better and enjoyed hot chocolate, played in the sand and went down to the water. On the way home (while I was at the spa) they went across the bay on the ferry and stopped for a frozen banana. Not a bad way to start a new year!

I couldn't have started 2011 much better myself than with a relaxing morning at Berk Williams with Kay and Carly. It was Kay's birthday and she was so kind to invite Carly and me to get a massage, enjoy the spa afterwards and have lunch together at Island's. We had a great time and Carly and I were so excited for even the small things like the neat hair products they had. I think Carly used every product possible just because she could. :) It was nice chatting in the spa, steam room, sauna, and ending the whole experience with a nice shower. Very relaxing indeed!